Log inSign up

Il y a des lieux magnifiques ici.

Il y a des lieux magnifiques ici.
There are magnificent places here.
From Lesson 80:Irregular plurals (-x)·French

Questions & Answers about Il y a des lieux magnifiques ici.

Why does lieux end in an -x instead of an -s?
The singular word for "place" is un lieu. In French, nouns and adjectives ending in -eu (like lieu) and -eau (like château) generally take an -x to form the plural instead of a standard -s.
Why does magnifiques get an -s if lieux gets an -x?
Magnifique doesn't end in -eu or -eau in the singular, so it just follows the regular rule of adding an -s for the plural. The noun (lieux) and the adjective (magnifiques) both show they are plural, but they use the ending that fits their own specific spelling rules.
In English, we say "there are" instead of "there is". Why didn't il y a change to match the plural des lieux?
Unlike English, the French expression il y a never changes form. It translates to both "there is" and "there are". You use exactly the same phrase whether you're talking about one place (il y a un lieu) or many places (il y a des lieux).
Do I pronounce the -x at the end of lieux?
No, the plural -x in lieux is completely silent, exactly like the plural -s at the end of magnifiques. You only write it to show that the word is plural.

Learn Il y a des lieux magnifiques ici and more in French

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning French →